Older childhood refers to the ages of about five or six through to around eleven or twelve. In this life stage, there have been many theoretical frameworks and theorists …show more content…
Erikson’s theory would be beneficial in ways of understanding that the child will face a crisis but it needs to be resolved in order for the child to develop socially and emotionally. Piaget’s theory will be useful as it gives an insight of what behaviors are learnt through each stage, so when a parent comes worried about the development of their children, discussing Piagets theory of cognitive behavior will make it easier for the parent to understand. Just understanding both theories is useful as gives the social worker the knowledge of how the child’s development is going and when something does not add up and match (or be similar) to the theory, looking into the problem might be required as there might be something wrong.
In conclusion, older childhood is a period where the child develops the most; they develop a growing sense of who they are and who they will become. Understanding Piagets and Erikson’s theories of child development (which both are very important) allows us to explain facts, give a predication on what happen throughout a certain stage and provide a range of strategies that can be used. Erik Erikson said, ‘there is in every child at every stage a new miracle of vigorous unfolding, which constitutes a new hope and a new responsibility for all’ (Mooney,